NOTATIO

Yes, that's the usual convention, but as said, adding little noteheads everywhere is going to confuse just as much; and there's not much space. What about this? Screenshot.png I guarantee that everyone will mark something in to indicate this! That's not too bad! However, I'm always worried that som...

My first reaction was the same as Fred’s. Both proposed solutions create more questions than answers because of their contradictions. I find this is one of those situations where there is no good solution, so it’s best to keep it simple and clear. Once you recognize the enharmonic, the line is very ...

Singers will sometimes focus their attention primarily on either notes or lyrics, only peripherally processing the other. Having both slurs and extension lines ensures they receive the performance information wherever they focus.

@benwiggy I love this perfect example.

The 2/8 + 3/8 obviously means sometimes you feel it in 2 and sometimes in 3, but that's not typically how you'd notate that, or is it? I'm sure I've seen things like 6/8 (2/4) written before, but the addition of the + here makes this look really strange to me. I usually am not this decisive about n...

The grace notes imply that the bottom two notes should be given less emphasis. If that’s the sound you desire, then it’s fine. If all pitches should receive the same emphasis, then use the standard notation and place them on the same stem as a chord.

I believe RMK is saying, perhaps somewhat humorously, that musicians often will not complain to a composer, conductor, contractor (fixer), or music director for fear of losing work. However, they have no such reservations complaining to librarians when they believe something is amiss. This matches m...

I didn't expect this topic to be quite as divisive as it turned out. I wouldn't say "divisive". This has been a healthy discussion that highlights the different points of view. Some very learned and experienced people prefer one way over the other, and it's interesting to me to hear their...

This is interesting. I was aware that many publishing standards defaulted to stem down. However, I have seen in practice, and discussed with colleagues, more flexibility especially when complex rhythms, slurs, or melodic shapes were involved. I find it interesting, Fred, that you and I have differin...

There are differing schools of thought on this. Some prefer the middle-line stem to follow the prevailing pattern of the half-bar in which it occurs. If the stems in that half-bar are all up, then the middle-line stem should also be up. Your second example matches this thinking. Others prefer the mi...